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Summary The Enterprise is about to leave Starbase 2, where Janice Lester and Dr. Arthur Coleman have been turned over to the authorities. In Kirk's quarters, Kirk and McCoy discuss Kirk's relationship with Lester at Starfleet Academy. Kirk blames himself for not seeing how obsessed Lester was with starship command. He tells McCoy the Enterprise has been ordered back to Earth for a refit. Kirk has received transfer orders for all 430 crewmembers. McCoy urges Kirk to fight the transfers, including Kirk's own promotion to Admiral and Chief of Starfleet Operations, but Kirk has decided to take the promotion. Kirk is tired of holding his crew's lives in his hands. On their way to the bridge, McCoy reminds Kirk that the lives he has saved far outnumber the crew he has lost, but Kirk believes that he can help save lives on a broader scale at Starfleet Command. Resisting McCoy's warning that he will never get the Enterprise back if he gives her up, Kirk orders a heading back to Earth. References Characters :James T. Kirk • Lanier • Leonard McCoy • Spock • Hikaru Sulu B'Targi • Ruth Cartwright • Arthur Coleman • Willard Decker • Ben Finney • Janice Lester • Carol Marcus • Gary Mitchell • Montgomery Scott • Areel Shaw • Robert Tomlinson Starships and vehicles : ( ) Locations :Camus II • Earth • San Francisco • San Francisco Fleet Yards • Sector 001 • Starbase 2 Races and cultures :Human • Vulcan Andorian States and organizations :Starfleet • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Command • Starfleet Corps of Engineers • Starfleet Operations • United Federation of Planets Other references :alien • Andorian ale • archeology • bridge • bulkhead • camel • cancer • carpet • champagne • Chief of Starfleet Operations • civilization • command • cortex mapping • deck • drydock • duty roster • duty shift • emotion • first contact • five-year mission • funeral • galactic barrier • galaxy • laundry • medicine • morality • office • prescription • psychology • quarters • refit • secretary • security • shore leave • species • trial • tunic • uniform • universe • war • wardrobe • xenobiology Ranks and titles :cadet • captain • Chief of Starfleet Operations • crewman • doctor • officer • physician • professor • rear admiral Technology and weapons :computer • diagnostic bed • force field • impulse engine • integrating interface • intercom • mind transference machine • monitor • optic probe • padd • simulator • starship • turbolift • viewscreen • warp core • warp nacelle • weapon Chronology Appendices Information * This story describes the end of the Enterprise's five-year mission. Several other versions of this story, including , and , have all given differing accounts of the end of the mission. However, the Pocket Books Timeline and the Memory Beta Chronology agree that the five-year mission ended in 2270, instead of in 2269, and not immediately after , which is stated here. * Janice Lester is referred to with her correct first name only once in this story. Elsewhere, she is called "Janet" Lester. * Kirk lists "Will Decker" among people he failed to protect or keep alive. This is incorrect, since Will Decker merges with V'Ger, and is declared missing in , set after this story. Commodore ''Matt'' Decker dies in , but Kirk was not his commanding officer. * Kirk states in this story that 58 Enterprise crewmembers died in the line of duty during the five-year mission. According to "Admiral Kirk's Preface" to , 94 crewmembers died. Connections * Timeline Category:TOS short stories